That last shot was just a trial fitting. The ladder still needs to be secured and hand rails added. It will also need some sort of gate to keep the goats off! LOL
Next > "A Start on the Hay Loft"
Ship's Ladder for the Hayloft © September 2017
September 4, 2017
Ship's Ladder for the Hayloft
Dan's been taking advantage of some time off.
That last shot was just a trial fitting. The ladder still needs to be secured and hand rails added. It will also need some sort of gate to keep the goats off! LOL
Next > "A Start on the Hay Loft"
That last shot was just a trial fitting. The ladder still needs to be secured and hand rails added. It will also need some sort of gate to keep the goats off! LOL
Next > "A Start on the Hay Loft"
September 1, 2017
A Duck Tail of Woe
This is both a tail of woe and a tale of woe.
We keep one breeding pair of Muscovy ducks (because Muscovies are very prolific and one pair produces more than enough ducks!) In April Mama Duck hatched out a dozen eggs. Once the ducklings were grown she decided to set again. I don't know if that's typical for Muscovies, but she hid her nest so well there was no way to discourage her. For her nesting spot, she chose a place in the thick hedge of Beauty Bushes on the side of our front yard. Once or twice a day she would show up for water, something to eat, and a bath.
One day she didn't appear at her one of her usual times. She didn't show up the next day either, nor the day after that. We began to fear something had happened to her. Then the neighbor two doors down came by to say they had found a duck which apparently a dog had gotten. It appeared to be injured, but was alive. Could it possibly be M.O.M.?
We went to go see and sure enough, it was M.O.M.! She seemed to be okay but was missing most of her tail and couldn't fly very well. But would she let us catch her? No way! After chasing her all over their yard we finally went home in hopes she'd return on her own. Two days later she did.
We can only assume that she walked! Big Duck was ecstatic!
After she got food, water, and a bath she waddled up the driveway to check on her nest, but she wasn't gone long. It had been too many days and assuming the eggs were still there, they were cold with the ducklings lost.
About a week later another neighbor came over to warn us that he thought he'd heard coyotes the night before. He said it sounded like someone was getting killed, although he didn't see anything. We have coyotes on occasion, but so far they've never been a problem. Could that have been what tried to get M.O.M?
The next day we heard a ruckus somewhere beyond the back of our woods. It sounded like - coyotes! The sound sent all of our cats scrambling for hiding spots. All four of them had been choosing to sleep indoors lately, which we thought odd, but obviously they knew something we didn't?
That night Dan made rounds several times to keep an eye on things. When he shined the flashlight up the driveway he saw what he thought at first was a dog, but realized it was indeed a coyote!
Coyotes normally don't bother us, but their diet does include small animals. A few folks around here keep chickens, but we have the most animals in the area. Folks with goats, like me, worry about them, of course, especially when the kids are small. Mostly coyotes don't attack adult deer or goats, but apparently it depends on the pack. Some packs are more aggressive, so a wise stewards will take measures to protect their herds and flocks.
All of this "comes with the territory," as Dan likes to say. We do our best to protect our critters from predators, but the reality is that predators do get some of our poultry on occasion. Hopefully the coyotes will pass on through like the others we've seen before them.
 |
| M.O.M. (Mother of Muscovies) and Big Duck |
We keep one breeding pair of Muscovy ducks (because Muscovies are very prolific and one pair produces more than enough ducks!) In April Mama Duck hatched out a dozen eggs. Once the ducklings were grown she decided to set again. I don't know if that's typical for Muscovies, but she hid her nest so well there was no way to discourage her. For her nesting spot, she chose a place in the thick hedge of Beauty Bushes on the side of our front yard. Once or twice a day she would show up for water, something to eat, and a bath.
One day she didn't appear at her one of her usual times. She didn't show up the next day either, nor the day after that. We began to fear something had happened to her. Then the neighbor two doors down came by to say they had found a duck which apparently a dog had gotten. It appeared to be injured, but was alive. Could it possibly be M.O.M.?
We went to go see and sure enough, it was M.O.M.! She seemed to be okay but was missing most of her tail and couldn't fly very well. But would she let us catch her? No way! After chasing her all over their yard we finally went home in hopes she'd return on her own. Two days later she did.
 |
| Half of her tail feathers had been pulled out. |
We can only assume that she walked! Big Duck was ecstatic!
After she got food, water, and a bath she waddled up the driveway to check on her nest, but she wasn't gone long. It had been too many days and assuming the eggs were still there, they were cold with the ducklings lost.
About a week later another neighbor came over to warn us that he thought he'd heard coyotes the night before. He said it sounded like someone was getting killed, although he didn't see anything. We have coyotes on occasion, but so far they've never been a problem. Could that have been what tried to get M.O.M?
The next day we heard a ruckus somewhere beyond the back of our woods. It sounded like - coyotes! The sound sent all of our cats scrambling for hiding spots. All four of them had been choosing to sleep indoors lately, which we thought odd, but obviously they knew something we didn't?
 |
| Able to fly again and pretty much back to normal. |
That night Dan made rounds several times to keep an eye on things. When he shined the flashlight up the driveway he saw what he thought at first was a dog, but realized it was indeed a coyote!
Coyotes normally don't bother us, but their diet does include small animals. A few folks around here keep chickens, but we have the most animals in the area. Folks with goats, like me, worry about them, of course, especially when the kids are small. Mostly coyotes don't attack adult deer or goats, but apparently it depends on the pack. Some packs are more aggressive, so a wise stewards will take measures to protect their herds and flocks.
All of this "comes with the territory," as Dan likes to say. We do our best to protect our critters from predators, but the reality is that predators do get some of our poultry on occasion. Hopefully the coyotes will pass on through like the others we've seen before them.
A Duck Tail of Woe © September 2017 by
August 29, 2017
Something You Might Be Interested In
What might that be? It's the Back To Basics Living Summit.
This is an online webinar which will run September 10-16, 2017. It's being organized by the same folks who do the Back To Basics Living and Prepper eBook bundles. This new venue looks to be an excellent resource.
The B2B Summit will be for seven days (Sept. 10 - 16) with different videos every day. Topics will include:
You need to register, however, to reserve a spot and receive sign in details. Click here for more information and to sign up.
If you can't make it during the scheduled video times, there is also options to purchase lifetime access to the webinar.
You'll find those options by following the above link as well. But it's free if you can make the scheduled video times, which is my kind of webinar!
This is an online webinar which will run September 10-16, 2017. It's being organized by the same folks who do the Back To Basics Living and Prepper eBook bundles. This new venue looks to be an excellent resource.
The B2B Summit will be for seven days (Sept. 10 - 16) with different videos every day. Topics will include:
- Saving Money and Getting Out of Debt
- Achieving Real Health Naturally
- Growing Your Own Food
- Being Prepared for Crisis
- Food Storage
- Seed Saving
- Canning
- Off-Grid Lifestyle
- Cooking
- Cheese Making
- Backyard Livestock
- Urban Gardening
- Homebrewing
- Herbs
You need to register, however, to reserve a spot and receive sign in details. Click here for more information and to sign up.
If you can't make it during the scheduled video times, there is also options to purchase lifetime access to the webinar.
- Door Buster Discount: Aug. 27 - Sept 12 - $59.97 for lifetime online access, $99.97 for that plus the videos on flash drive.
- Early Bird Sale: Sept. 13 - 16 - $99.97 for lifetime access, $139.97 for online access plus flash drive.
- Regular Price: after Sept. 16 - $119.97 for lifetime access, $159.97 for lifetime access plus flash drive.
You'll find those options by following the above link as well. But it's free if you can make the scheduled video times, which is my kind of webinar!
Something You Might Be Interested In © Aug 2017
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